Crane



April 23, 1929. L. A. Russi-:LL

CRANE Filed May 3l. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 glnvcnfoz plicated machinery including Cil Patented Apr. 23, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LESLIE A. RUSSELL, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T0 XOEHRING COMPANY,

OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

CRANE.

Application filed May 31,

In the art of excavating machinery, the common type of excavating crane for clamshell, orangepeel, drag-line, and other work, is in large degree comprised of rather comprimarily centra-l propellingr shaft mechanism.l and separate operating mechanism for the cab or turntable in and on which are carried the crane devices and motor. Likewise there are commonly used a large amount of shafting and gearing, and many clutches and propelling parts which render the cost of manufacture of these cranes very heavy.

My primary object in this invention has been the development of a simplified type of excavating crane, one which does away with man v of the complicated systems of gearing, clutch controls, and separate main operating instrumentalities for the traction devices of the crane, and the turntable itself. In fact, I have so designed my present crane that I utilize, generally speaking, a single controlling unit intermediate the car body and the turntable, for causing operation of the turntable to swing the boom of the crane, and for causing operation of the traction devices of the car body to obtain the necessary propulsion effects. The said unit to which I have referred is adapted under simple control to be actuated reversibly, and I obtain corresponding effects on this account in respect to the driving or turning 0perations of the turntable, and the propelling actions of the traction devices forming a part of the car body.

I utilize a common axis for my turntable and for my special operating unit for said turntable and the traction devices, comprising a combined rotator and driving gear. As a rotator said unit may be fixed or locked in its relation to the car body so that it forms a ring gear engaged by a main driving pinion on the turntable, operation of which pinion will revolve the turntable on the car body. Again the said rotator and ring gear unit may be released so that it becomes a freely revolving gear, and if at this time the turntable is locked in its relation to the car body, the rotator and gear unit forms a driving gear which acts to transmit motion from the main driving pinion on the turntable to the driven gearing of the traction devices of the car body ot the crane. In this way the propulsion of the crane is provided for, either i sides of the crane.

1,922. Serial No. 564,724.

rearwardly or forwardly, and the turning of the turntable in either direction is likewise controlled, since the main driving pinion above mentioned is susceptible of operation in reverse directions.

A further feature of my invention is the utilization of common control means for the locking means for the turntable and the locking means for the rotator and my ring gear unit, this control means being mounted upon the machine in a unique and advantageous manner to be later lnade more'apparent.

I nthe accompanying drawings;

' Figure 1 is a side elevation with certain parts shown in section, of a, crane embodying the essential features of this invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the combined rotator and ring gear unit.

`igure 3 is a view showing more clearly the clutches and bevel gears operating the main driving pinion shaft.

The construction of my crane is exceedingly simple, as before premised, in that it comprises the car body 1, equipped with the traction devices 2, which may be multiplanes of a conventional type well known today, the latter being driven by the driven gearing which comprises the bevel gear 3 and spur gear 4 on the shaft 5; another gear 6 meshing with the gear 4 and carried by the shaft 7; and a bevel gear 8 on the shaft 7 meshing with a corresponding gear 9 on the rear driving shaft 10 of the multiplanes 2, two of which are preferably provided at opposite On the car body 1 is mounted the roller track 11, and the turntable 12 is equipped with rollers to operate on said track in a well known manner, of gen eral design of excavating cranes. Upon the turntable 12 is carried the customary main mechanism including the motor 14, the boom 15, and operating gearing for jibing the boom in andout and for accomplishing other crane operations as respects the type of bucket which may be carried by the said boom 15. Furthermorc, the gearing on the turntable 12, and in the cab 16 of which the turntable forms a part, includes gears 17, 18, 19, and the bevel gears 20 and 21 for transmitting driving effeats from the motor 14 to the vertical drive shaft 22. The vertical shaft 22 carries at its lower end main drive shaft pinion 23, the teeth of which mesh with peripheral teeth 24 on my Special unit, which I shall call a rotator and gear 25. r1`his rotator and gear 25 has other bottom and inclined teeth 26 adapted to mesh with the bevel gear 3 of the gearing previously described, as being provided for the traction devices 2. On the bottom of the rotator gear 25 are locking lugs 27 adapted to be engaged by a locking member 28, vertically slidable on thc frame of the carbody 1. The locking member 28 is connected by a link 29, lever 3() and reach rod 31, with the crank 32 of a main control lever 33.' The reach rod 31 passes through a hollow center axis 34 upon which the turntable and unit 25 are mounted in common. The lever 33 also has an arm 35 connected by reach rod 36 of a bell crank 37, adapted to enter locking member 38, capable of engaging with a scries of locking lugs 39 formed with the roller track 11.

From the foregoing, it will be clear that assuming the rotator and gear unit 25 to be rotatable upon the hollow trunnion 40 projecting upwardly from the car body 1 and through which the axis 34 passes, when the parts are in the positions shown in Figure 1, the unit 25 is free to rotate, the lever 33 stands adjusted to render the locking member 38 operative to engage between certain lugs 39 on the car body. The turntable 12 is thereafter fixed in its relation to the car body 1, whereupon driving of the shaft 22 will transmit motion through the main drive pinion 23 to the unit 25, and the latters rotation will be imparted to the gearing 3, 4, 6, 8, and 9. The traction devices 2 will therefore be driven in a suitable direction.

If now the lever 33 is pushed forwardly, the locking member 38 will be lifted from its engagement with the lugs 39, and the locking member 28 will be moved into engagement with the predetermined ones of the lugs 27. In this way the turntable is released to rotate freely under suitable driving action, and the rotator and gear 25 become locked relatively to the car body 1. Thereupon the gear unit 25 will cooperate as a fixed member, on operation of the shaft 22, and pinion 23 to cause the pinion 23 to travel around the gear unit 25. This causes a turning of the turntable obviously, and a swin ing of the boom and other crane instrumenta ities which it may be desired to move by said turning action.

On the shaft 41 which' carries the gearing 19, and 18, there will betwo of the bevel ears 20 loose on the shaftA and engaging the evel gear 21. Suitable clutehes adjacent the bevel gears 20 will be adapted; to connect either of these gears to the shaft,' and-as the gears 20 will be on opposite sides of the gear 21, a reverse operation of the gear 21 and the shaft 22 will be obtainable. According to the direction of rotation of the shaft 22 and its pinion 23, depends the direction of turning of the turntable 12, and operation of the traction devices 2. If any differential movement of the traction devices 2 is required, I may utilize special gearing in cooperation with the shaft 10 and a superposed shaft 10, see Fig. 1, which gearing is well known in the art as capable of controlling variable speeds of twowheel or multiplane traction devices, as well as differential speeds that might be useful for steering purposes. Under such conditions, control connections could be used from alever near the lever 33, connected through the axis 34 to certain shifting parts at the shafts 10 and 10, for clutches on said shafts.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to 'secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In crane construction, the combination, with traction mechanism'and a crane body pivotally mounted thereon, of a gear wheel revolvably vmounted and disposed coaxial with the pivot of thel crane body, the gear wheel having a series of detent teeth spaced apart and arranged in a circle described about said axis, the traction mechanism also carrying a series of detent teeth spaced apart and arranged in a circle described about said axis, a reciprocating detent for each set of detent teeth, a controlling lever for said reciprocating detents, link and lever connections between said controlling lever and said reciprocating detents for alternately causing the projection of one of the reciprocating detents into the path of one of the sets of detent teeth and the retraction of the other reciprocating detent from such path of the other detent teeth whereby said gear and said `crane body may be alternately locked against rotation and alternatel released for rotation, power means on the crane body and a gear actuated thereby in mesh with the first mentioned gear to have planetary motion thereon when the first mentioned gear is locked and the crane body released, and means actuated by the first mentioned gear for driving the traction means when the first mentioned gear is released and the crane body, locked.

2. Mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein the actuating link extends alon the axis of the crane body pivot through the first mentioned gear to actuate the reciprocating detent cooperatlng with the detent teeth of said gear.

3. Mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein the actuating ring extends along the'aXis of the crane body pivoted through the first mentioned gear to actuate the reciprocating detent cooperating with the detent teeth of said gear, the last named reciprocating detent being mounted to slide vertically and to move upward into interlocking relation with the detent teeth of said gear.

4. Mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reciprocating detents are movably mounted and one mounted to move upward to engage the detent teeth of the first mentioned gear and the other downward to engage the detent teeth carried by the traction mechanism.

5. In a crane, in combination, a car body and traction means thereon, a turntable mounted on the body, crane mechanism on the car body including motor and boom mechanisms, a driving pinion on the turntable operable from the motor, a combined rotator and ring gear between the turntable. and car body having teeth to engage said driving pinion, and a second set of teeth for cooperation with driven traction gearing, driven traction gearing to coact with the rotator and ring gear, means upon the car body beneath the turntable projectible to engage and lock said rotator and ring gear from movement whereby the driving pinion will rotate around the same for turntable turning purposes, and means depending from the turntable to engage the car body for locking the turntable against rotation permitting the ring gear to act as a gear member for driving the engaged driven traction gearing.

6. Means substantially as claimed in claim 5 with lever and rod connections between the two locking instrumentalities specified and an operating handle for compellingr alternate effective operation thereof.

7. In a power controlling means, a crane turntable, a car body upon which the turntable is supported, a combined rotator and traction gear intermediate the car body and turntable` a motor driven pinion upon the turntable engaging said rotator and gear, traction driving gearing upon the car body engaged with said rotator and gear, locking means upon the turntable disposed at a distance from the axis thereof and dependent to engage said ear body, locking means disposed beneath the rotator and acting thereon at a point removed from its axis, an operating lever disposed upon the turntable and connected to the locking mechanism therefor, a rod extending trom said level', a control handle connected to said rod, an operating rod extending from said handle through the axis of the turntable and l'otor, a lever connected to said last mentioned rod, and means on -said lever to effect a sliding movement of the locking means for the rotor.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

LESLIE A. RUSSELL. 

